


Trouble: A Local's Guide to Pseudo-Fusion and Storage Hideaways

by Rhinocio



Series: The Homeworld T Series [3]
Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Nonbinary Ruby, Origin Story, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-25
Updated: 2015-05-25
Packaged: 2018-04-01 03:13:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4003696
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhinocio/pseuds/Rhinocio
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sapphire, as an archivist, logs dozens of Gem deaths daily. Names and titles become white noise to her, melding into monotony. She embraces the methodical, knowing how much safer it is than being a foot soldier. But there are certain reasons she would risk such a safety, and Ruby's enlistment to a planet with a 0% military survival rate is unquestioningly one of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trouble: A Local's Guide to Pseudo-Fusion and Storage Hideaways

**Author's Note:**

> There were two main challenges I had in writing this:
> 
> Firstly, I wanted this story to stay true to its alien setting by avoiding humanoid genitalia, kissing, and the word "love". In this, I wanted just as much for it to feel romantic and be driven by a sex scene. 
> 
> Secondly, I struggled with the decision on which pronouns to use for Ruby. On one hand, female/female relationships of all types are grossly underrepresented in fiction, and what literature does exist is often impersonal, rushed, or following a strict "they do this, this, and then this" format. On the other hand, genderqueer, -fluid, and -neutral persons are also hugely lacking representation in fiction. For the sake of the latter, my personal preference for the character, and an audible flow that didn't rely on defining the characters by their hair or eye colour every other moment, I've applied "they/them/themself" attributes to Ruby. This in no way meant to be masculinizing or otherwise alter your perception of the character. Please continue to love and refer to these little gay space rocks in the way that feels most comfortable to you.

“Blue Diamond squad soldier 4556, Tourmaline, crushed. Fragments too small for repair, cycle 599. Blue Diamond squad soldier 4878, Hematite, destroyed in battle with Vinotira natives, cycle 600. Yellow Diamond squad lieutenant 3009, Turquoise, lost, presumed destroyed by Vinotira natives, cycle 600. White Diamond squad captain 569, Amber--”

Sapphire paused, ruminating on the best possible way to phrase the gem's unfortunate end. Detailing how their general had destroyed Amber in a squabble would not reflect well on White Diamond's leadership, and consequently someone from that squadron would very soon be knocking on Sapphire's office door, ready and willing to shoot the messenger.

“--injured in battle on Eritia, retrieved by White Diamond general Pyrite cycle 600. Fragments too small for repair. Presumed termination cycle 599. End transmission 488-79.”

Sapphire unclasped her fingers and sighed, turning to face the wailing stone sitting erect and cold on her desk, a mammoth that had never quite seemed in place. Its glowing gold detailing was fading back to its shiny standard colouring, and its soft white noise that followed her like a shadow as she paced the room and made her reports slowly hummed into silence. She turned a shoulder to it as her gaze fell back to her desk, blanketed in long blue tablets with silver inscriptions, dates and times of gem deaths and absences. She felt hyper-aware of the wailing stone's presence, a looming weight at her side reminding her constantly that one slip-up in her recordings and her name might soon find its own blue tablet to grace. _Your voice is sweet_ , it moaned at her, _but this is not your place._

Her place, Sapphire thought, shaking her head and turning her attention back to sorting the tiles chronologically by date and battalion, was not a place any gem should have to suffer. Her position as of the last eighty-four cycles, won through an articulate tongue and a brush of luck with a high-ranking officer of Yellow Diamond's instruction, was like walking on a wire, true, but it was safer than the military. She had been given this small space, an office of curved, deep purple stone, and half a cycle of instruction on how to do the job. The leading archivist, Amphibole, had clamped a vise-like grip on her tiny arm and warned her with a gravelly voice that this was an unheard of location for an unsound gem to be working. “Unsound” was an insult coated in pity; a gentler term than “defective”, “weak”, or “malformed”. 

“Don't cause any trouble, Sapphire,” Amphibole had said, and her dark skin shimmered in the low light of the violet room. The threat was not verbal, but no less unintended. Something like anger had burnt in the back of Sapphire's throat, smothered in decades of acceptance and desire to survive. Since that moment she had been flawless.

Reports were never backlogged. Her wailing stone, loathed though it was for all it reminded her of, was polished and in perfect condition. She was once praised not only for the soothing tone of her voice, but for her perfect pronunciation of alien terms and strong projection. When a transmission to the archives called for a change of uniform, Sapphire had taken on the full skirt and apron within a moment, and swallowed the pinch of ruefulness for the loss of her field breeches and boots. Though they would never publicly praise a substandard gem such as she, Sapphire knew she had nothing to fear except her own mistakes.

This knowledge made her no less jumpy.

A soft snap echoed off the walls to her left, somewhere behind the tiny curving space she had employed as a closet for defunct tiles and cleaning supplies. Within a moment a sharp blue knuckle iron had graced her right hand, tightfisted and hidden behind the folds of her dress. Threats to most gems were found off-world; dangers were a common part of life for Sapphire. She had seen cruel actions taken out on small, “defective” gems such as she by larger and stronger brothers – the memory of a particular citrine stuck with her, and was the reason she'd learned to manifest a weapon from her gem in the first place. She pressed the iron knuckle against her palm and froze, her free hand relaxed on the tabletop. The long aquamarine curls of Sapphire's bangs obscured her face and hid the direction of her gaze. She waited.

A few soft taps, like hesitant footsteps, and then the soft pat of a hand on stone. The shuffle of fabric. 

“ _Sapphire._ ” 

Relief coated the gem like the dihydrogen monoxide falls on Eritia. A heat followed, inviting and dangerous as the sun of the Red Spider nebula. Sapphire let her weapon melt away and lifted her hair just enough that she could fully appreciate the gem who had, for stars knew what reason, hidden in her office closet. Delight battled with fear inside of her – on one hand, this precious being, their skin a deep mahogany in what ambiance the windows provided, taking the gentlest of steps towards her, tight curls bouncing; on the other hand--

“What are you doing here? How did you even get _in_?” Sapphire was whispering, but her voice was like melted caramel, crackling for want to shout with joy. The urgency of the situation gripped her just as Ruby did, and she trembled, though at which touch she wasn't sure. She drank in the hardness of the body pressed against hers, the twisted half-grin, the bright red eyes that peeked out just under a sea of hair and ribbon. “How long were you in the wall?”

“I needed to see you, I found a way, and a while, 'cause I didn't want to interrupt your...” Ruby waved a hand at the wailing stone on the desk, and Sapphire sneered in its direction, hating the machine and all it stood for even more in that moment. She understood, however – for once, her favourite red gem had exercised patience, knowing that there was no deleting messages the wailing stone heard. If it had recorded their meeting, or the tiniest sound indicating something was awry in the cramped purple office, whatever stealth Ruby had used to enter the building would have been for nothing. They would both be in danger. As it was, Sapphire discerned, they already were.

“Ruby, you can't _be_ here. The half-cycle pearl is due to come by with another report any minute. I- I-” she stroked the soft angle of Ruby's jaw, unnerved by the intensity of their stare. “I could have met you somewhere after my shift.” 

“I won't be around then,” they said, their voice more of a soft bark than a whisper. Ruby's face constricted with the words, their nose scrunching up as they pressed into Sapphire's hand. The phrase _“What do you mean?”_ filled her mouth and died as a breath with a sharp knock on the door. She gripped at Ruby's arm and gave it a vicious squeeze and a tug towards the desk; the stout gem took her hint and quickly threw themself under it. Sapphire called out to the visitor whilst pressing her skirt against the curve of the bureau, hiding Ruby from view. Her gem throbbed heavily, and her hands shook. 

“Come in!”

Blessings upon the planet, Sapphire thought, as the holo-projected door sparkled out of existence and revealed a lanky, green-toned pearl. She recalled this gem from cycles prior, and had noted their aversion to stepping too far into her office. (Not that this was a surprising trait – the gems that worked with her might be more studious than physical, but that meant nothing of their brutality towards gems of lesser castes.) The pearl held their arms stiff and head erect, but eyes downcast, indicative of their discomfort. Sapphire, though her nervousness clawed at her, felt sympathy for the gem, and directed as gently as she could manage: “You may speak.”

“Sir!” the pearl acknowledged, closing their eyes. “Wailing stone message 488-78 delivered successfully! Information has been stored within the Halls! White Diamond squadron 493 is to be returning within two cycles! Forward-issued messages predict death and loss toll at seventeen! New tiles will be administered in eight to twelve hours!” As they spoke, the pearl's gem projected a running list of points to be addressed, which Sapphire studied with distracted care. (A pearl often was part of the job of an archivist, as a mobile information and memory bank, but Sapphire had never qualified for the help.) Ruby's callused hands were gripping her feet, warm and quavering. The thumb of their left hand began stroking her skin. 

“Injury of multiple gems due to faulty equipment at the cataloguing station has increased the likelihood of delayed delivery of tiles! Please be aware! Sequential delays will not be tolerated!” Sapphire chewed the inside of her cheek, noting the emphasis of the “please” - she would be expected to do twice the work in half the time. A unreasonable expectation within this dangerous position, as per usual. But that was something she could worry about later. She felt the slow movement of the many layers of her skirt from underneath the desk, and resisted the urge to give Ruby a small kick. Her current position was dangerous enough!

“Furthermore, leave tiles will be required for all 788 members of Blue Diamond's off-world conquest to Zhypar in a cycle's time! Information will be issued to your wailing stone within two hours.” Sapphire had all but frozen, the hand that held her gem twitching. Through a measured progression, Ruby had – Homeworld help her – tucked their head under her skirt. Mortified, Sapphire genuinely tried to kick them, but Ruby's hands were pressing her feet into the floor. Damn that gem for having strength beyond their tiny stature! She felt a warm nose press against her knee, and knocked it inward as hot breath followed. Did Ruby not realize the seriousness of the situation?! The soft puff of a silent laugh washed over Sapphire's thigh, and she felt as though she'd flown too close to a sun. Warmth flushed her face, burning her cheekbones, derived from something between embarrassment and fury. Oh, that red gem was so dead. If Ruby didn't get the both of them killed by revealing themself to the pearl, Sapphire was going to beat their ass so hard they'd have to retreat into their gem for a decade. “Yellow Diamond archivist Sapphire, you are responsible for tiles 455 through 560!” 

“Understood!” she yelped, and the pearl flinched. Ruby squeezed both her ankles. Sapphire swallowed and attempted to steady her voice. “Is... that all?”

“Yes, sir. No further communications at this point.”

“You may leave--!” Sapphire strained, pressing her gem into the desk, and furiously wishing this was all some drawn-out hallucination. Ruby's warm, wide palms had traced up her legs, cupping the sides of her knees. Sapphire was distinctly aware of the soft scuff of Ruby's hair in the same area, and that aggravating smooth circular pattern their thumbs kept tracing on her skin. A shiver ran up her sides as the red gem's forehead pressed into her thigh and hands pulled gently outwards. The pearl actually glanced her way, and nervously asked, “Is everything... alright, sir?”

“Yes! Leave!” Sapphire snapped, struggling to maintain her composure. The pearl nodded fervently, and quickly backed out of the room. The holo-door faded back into place, sealing Sapphire and her infuriating partner back into blessedly enforced silence. Anger bubbled up inside her, and she made to move backwards and pull away from the red gem, but they had a tight hold on her legs.

“ _Ruby!_ ” she hissed, leaning over and pulling what skirt was tucked under her desk up, layer by layer. “ _What are you doi--_ ”

The last sheet of lace pulled back from Ruby's eyes, staring straight up at her, at the same moment she felt a soft touch at the apex of her pelvis. A fresh wave of temperature filled her face, and her lips quivered. The room suddenly seemed much darker. Sapphire felt abruptly very exposed; the angle at which she was looking down had lifted her bangs from her face, and for once she and the red gem were making full eye contact. Though their expression was blank, Ruby's eyes glowed with emotion, and one was becoming increasingly glossy. 

“Sapph,” they murmured, and the fabric slipped over their chin, “I've been drafted. I'm going to Zhypar in the morning.” Muscles that Sapphire hadn't realized she'd been clenching began to uncoil and fill with ice. The anger that had so quickly roused her fell like galena into her stomach, and her breath followed. “You know what that place is like. I don't... I wasn't... I might not come back. I had to see you.” The pulse of Ruby's gem hammered against her leg, arrhythmic and frightened. She touched the side of their face gently, unable to pull her gaze away from the eyes below her. 

Gems as a species were strange in as many galaxies as they had explored. Though their life source was carbon-based, their bodies were projections, holograms of mass and substance. They could not reproduce sexually, but mined their subsequent generations from the land around them, and invoked them with life and sentience through methods no one could remember being taught. Reproduction was a science that required set inputs, and the greatest irony for the species was that their planet lacked these materials in almost every sense. Without aluminium, there could be no corundums. Lacking silicon, no type of quartz could be created. Almost every one of them had been made on a different satellite of a different solar system, and needed no sustenance or light to survive. How then could they attribute any life-giving to the planet on which the Diamond Authority chose to stake their headquarters? This planet was no mother – it was only a base. Their “homeworld”. 

But what their homeworld lacked, they had to search for. Thus, in a drive to expand the number of near-immortal gems, the Authority had called for colonization of other planets. The construction of Kindergartens, their mass mining operations, invoked huge strain upon these worlds, and the native inhabitants often fought to protect their homes. Some were weak, microbial or underdeveloped. Others were less so. Zhypar was a planet often dealt to gems the Authority disliked - “unsound” gems, as it were. The Kindergarten there had no great value. The reigning species was quadrupedal and extremely dangerous. Gems seldom returned. None of this was a secret. 

Sapphire understood then what Ruby was trying to do, and wanted to weep at the reality. The gem below her would be, at any time between tomorrow and the foreseeable future, a causality of war. Their bright grin, the tilt of their walk, the sly glances shot from under the shadow of a headband, tracing Sapphire's curves from across the room – everything that made this ruby, _her_ ruby, so startlingly different than the thousands of others mined from the same world would be crushed and pressed so unrecognizably into a long blue tablet that Sapphire herself might glaze over it, and realize nothing awry until the name passed her lips and she choked in front of that wormhole-worthy wailing stone. The red gem, clutching her close from such a prostrate position, was asking an indulgence. _I'll be dead soon_ , said the tight press of their mouth and the dark circles under their eyes, _so, please, let me prove I lived for a reason._

“I couldn't leave without being with you,” Ruby mumbled, looking up imploringly. Gingerly fingers brushed against Sapphire's hips, and she nodded dumbly, pressing her own trembling hands against Ruby's temples. Stars, but for all she was willing, this was strange. Unnatural, even. Gems were not a sexual race. They lacked the genitalia of a procreating species, and yet their bonding, an amalgam of their very beings into a new gem, fusion, was all but banned by the Diamond Authority. To fuse was disgusting; to be seen as a fusion was deplorable, and in the case of two small, improperly-formed gems, terribly punishable. They had to make do instead with organic emulation.

Oh, but how Sapphire wished they could fuse. A guilty, shameful wish, perhaps, but as intense as her need to exist. Gems did not seek out the bonds that mating species did; they could create no offspring. As far as society was concerned, they were each complete in their own right anyhow. Sapphire often wondered if she thought so because she was a “defective” gem – perhaps something had gone wrong in her formation that would bring out such feelings – but more and more she found being near this ruby absolutely necessary to her sanity. It wasn't just a compliment of personalities, she was sure. The very aura this gem projected, their strength and sweetness, their hand gripped in hers... it all felt right, purposeful. As if the planet she had been made on had an afterthought of, “Oh, you'll need this too,” and gave it a physical body, then dared her to live without it. She wanted to give everything she had – and everything she didn't - to Ruby. If there was a word to describe her absolute dedication to this beautiful gem, she had to find it. 

Sapphire's vision fluttered when Ruby's hands traced over the geode hidden between her legs. Though their bodies could be formed as soft as they pleased (within limits of colour and mass, of course), Sapphire had always been fond of keeping herself crystalline inside. As far as she knew, it was a fairly common practice. For her, a central point made of the same material as her gem helped balance her; her gem forming so far out on her right hand was in part what made her “weak”. For others, it was an aesthetic, or a reminder of their constituency. Whatever the reason for its existence, such an area remained an area highly private to their people. Allowing Ruby such an invasion was... erotic. She rocked gently and allowed her partner to pull her legs farther apart; Ruby traced along her thighs with trembling strokes. Carefully they pressed their own gemstone against her, and Sapphire gasped. The hum of Ruby's gem vibrated up into every crevice of her body, making her squirm. 

When she finally looked down, fingers pressed against her own lips, the red gem was watching. Sapphire tried to absorb in every aspect of Ruby's expression – there was a weakness there they would never have shown outside of this secluded moment. They looked poised to cry, and yet a determination and _devotion_ burned from the edges of their irises and threatened to swallow Sapphire whole. Her senses peaked and a tiny part of her worried for their recklessness; they couldn't be seen from the windows, and archivists and pearls always announced themselves before coming in, but the enclosure of the room suddenly seemed too cramped for the feelings welling up inside the tiny gem. She both cared immensely, because being caught would mean her death, and yet could not care less, because Ruby's death was imminent anyway, and that was so much worse. _Let them see_ , her mind wailed, _let them know what they're destroying._

“Mmm!” she squeaked through tightly shut lips as Ruby's fingers curled along the tiny round beads of her geode, and drifted carefully along the smooth shafts. Back and forth they traced, detailing every inch of Sapphire's hidden core. She felt as though full cycles were passing around them, time continuing deliriously on where they crouched in limbo, for she could only focus on the delicacy with which Ruby stroked her and the craving that clawed at her for more. Part of her was embarrassed, arching into such a touch, and yet when her trembling fingers searched for a sturdy handhold and decided on Ruby's broad shoulder, clinging for dear life, Sapphire could have sworn her partner had cooed encouragement. The red gem smiled and pressed their cheek into the tops of her knuckles, never once breaking eye contact. 

“Sapphire,” they said, feather-light, “Hey.”

A single crimson digit pushed up into her, and Sapphire startled the both of them by _moaning_. They froze, Ruby's finger still buried deep, faces flushed with colours deeper than their skin tones should have allowed, and then she laughed. Giggles swept through her like a summer wind, making her weak and warm. Ruby's face pressed into her stomach and hand gripped at her behind like a lifeline, and the voice hidden in her skirt folds alternated between chucking along and imploring her to “shhhhh!” Between breaths Sapphire realized that this was what she held blessed among all the parts of the red gem – this safe feeling. This completeness. Physically they were closer than they had ever been, but it was the binding laughter, this mingling of hushed, nervous amusement that wrapped Sapphire up like a coat and whispered to her that everything was worthwhile, that this gorgeous creature she clung to was everything she lacked and everything she'd need. In the back of her mind a dark sneer reminded her that it wouldn't last past the sunrise.

The warmth between her legs pulled away, and then returned just as swiftly, curving along the sharp points inside of her as if trying to melt them into smoothness. Ruby had begun to find a rhythm, and pressed more intensely into the cavern they'd found, all the while reaching up with their gaze and smile as if trying to pull something from the leaner gem. Sapphire swallowed her laughter and conceded, making way for the raw sounds begging release from her throat. She curled closer to Ruby, twining her hands into their wine-coloured curls. Their face turned against the inside of her arm, breath hot, and free fingers found places inside her where they too could explore.

“Ahh-- ahhh! Oh, R-Ruby!” She tried to stare down into the burning red eyes that gleefully watched her, but the sensations within her were becoming overwhelming. Multiple digits thrust in and out of the curvatures of her geode, twisting in ways that made her head spin. Dimly she was aware of her partner moving, guiding her legs into alternate positions that she was more than happy to assume. She recognized the pressure and warmth of a hand squeezing hers, and then the slide of that same hand along the back of her leg and rear. The room momentarily came back into focus as Ruby's fingers gently pulled out of her, and to Sapphire's dismay she heard herself whimper at the loss. 

A warmth enveloped her, wet and humid, and a softness beyond anything she'd felt caressed the smooth surfaces of her crystalline entrance. She gasped and gripped blindly, and one hand bumped the desk, but Sapphire couldn't find the drive to care whether or not she'd made a noise. Her breath had gone raspy, following the motion of what could only be the red gem's tongue tracing where their fingers had been. The sensation was so foreign, so unbelievable – where had Ruby even come up with this idea? – that the laughter returned, breathless and interspersed with quiet moans. Her hand was so tangled in Ruby's hair and pulling so hard she thought she might scalp them (which naturally exacerbated the laughter). A heat filled her, potent as the vibration of her partner's gem against her centre. All she wanted was to be closer, have Ruby take her over and do what they wished, to be a part of them, to never have to let go...! Sapphire's thoughts ran in rampant circles shouting, _“Why can't I be with you?”_ while through a dreamy mist she could hear herself panting the red gem's name over and over. 

The tipping point came in a startling show of possessiveness. Ruby's hands gripped her behind and clenched Sapphire close enough that their deliciously slick tongue pushed up into her, and the tiny gem felt her knees go weak. Her arm tried vainly to brace her upon the desk, and her forehead dropped against it, both barely holding on. Her weight fell against Ruby's shoulders, shaking but sturdy, and still the red gem refused to yield. Thrust after hot, wet thrust claimed the intimate spaces of Sapphire's body, until she thought she might pass out. Her voice still weakly cried her partner's name, and she prayed the irregular, thumping beat of her gem pulse in the hand that clutched Ruby's head against her was as proficient in expressing the words she didn't have the breath for: _I need you, I need you!_

There was a moment where Sapphire thought, perhaps, she was already gone. Another blue tablet on a purple stone desk, mixed in with half a dozen other corundums and feldspars. A powdered body blended with carbon and lime, inscribed with a number and name, read aloud once and then stored away for eternity in a cold box in the Halls. No longer a living gem, because the comfort that surrounded her like a cloud could never have been found on Homeworld, or within Gem society at all. A luxury she, a defective sapphire, malformed and lacking what potential a crystal of her status should have possessed, could never achieve. For the first time she felt safe, and _wanted_ , and alive in a way her existence had forbidden her. Somehow she knew, too, that Ruby was with her, and she hazily decided she must be dead. Their voice called to her, raw and gentle.

“Sapphire? Sapphire, starbeam, speak to me.”

“Ruby. Ruby. Ruby,” she murmured their name, reaching dreamily out with arms that she was becoming slowly aware of. Gravity took its blessed time leaning into her, and left her cradled in warm arms that smelled of dry earth and pungent metal. Chromium. A smile argued with tears on her face as she curled up against the wall of red cloth that held her and notched her face into the collarbone attached to it. “Fuse with me, Ruby.”

The silence was long and heavy, though Sapphire felt no tension. She had said it, finally. The words had fallen from her lips as clearly as a song, contented in their decision. Shame had taken its well-deserved departure, and fear struggled to pass the security of the red gem's hold on her. Far away, reason called to her, imploring caution. _They'll kill you_ , it said, and she sighed, _I don't care._

A hand drew her long hair to one side, a forehead fell against her shoulder, and the body that held her crumbled like it had been thrown back into the magma that had birthed it. Fingers, so strong having touched her, gripped feebly at her back. Ruby's breath and pulse grew so still that Sapphire's airy consciousness decided they had finally joined her in death. Blindly she traced the curve of her red gem's arm and folded their palms together. Electricity zipped through her where their gems met.

“Ruby. Leave here.” A jolt woke the hand, and Sapphire squeezed back. “Go to the tower with Blue Diamond's insignia on it. Down past the barracks. It has four bands of colour on the spire. Inside there are long halls with numbers.” She tilted her head until her lips brushed against Ruby's neck, calling to the very structures they were made of to remember her instructions. “Look for whichever number your squadron uses. Inside, chronologically, will be archives. Search for your code.”

“S-Sapph.”

“To the east of the Blue spire is the Yellow tower. Five bands of colour. Not four. Shape-shift into a pearl.” The throat she pressed against flexed, and Sapphire sat up, silencing the threat of indignant sound with her fingers. Tiny cuts graced the skin around the red gem's mouth, and something territorial inside of her grinned and ate the sheepish emotion that recognized their source. “You must be fast, because you will not blend in well. Go down the third hall. Five rows down. 3588. Open this code and put yours inside. Then get the hell out of there.” 

As she spoke, a shield grew within Sapphire. She felt as though the crystals Ruby had touched inside of her were gaining diamond hardness and swelling to enormity, protecting her from the doubt that tried to say _no, no, don't do it, this is suicide, it won't work._ The red eyes that wavered before her cried the same, but she refused to listen. The thunder of a thousand defective gems were chanting victory for the oppressed in her head, loud and unafraid! She pressed her gem into her partner's. 

“Do not go with your squadron. Do you understand? Hide by the Old Walls. I'll find you before the sun rises. I'll make a new code, and a new history, and archive it as fact. Sapphire and Ruby will disappear.” She smoothed a hand over Ruby's cheek, her thumb stroking the dark shadow under their eye, and the last wisps of lucidity left Sapphire's mind laughing, _you're already dead._ “We'll join Pink Diamond's squadron. We'll go to the Milky Way galaxy. As a fusion.”

“You're serious,” Ruby croaked, their skin burning under her palm and tears raking heavy lines down their face. Their fingers, intertwined so tightly around each other's, shook as they crushed their gems as close as possible. Behind her, the yawning blue light of homeworld's second moon made an appearance, coating the walls in a ghostly sheen and turning Ruby's eyes a vibrant shade of violet. Sapphire's breath left her for the second time that night.

It would take half a cycle for the two to bear releasing their holds on each other, for Ruby to embark on the most lethal mission of their life, and for Sapphire to stop her voice shaking long enough to force out the lies that would protect she and her red gem from identification - _“Yellow Diamond archivist 3588, Sapphire, crushed in errand at cataloguing terminal. Fragments unidentifiable, cycle 603. Blue Diamond soldier 3586, Ruby, lost during arrival at Zhypar conquest 21, presumed termination cycle 605.”_ Before the first sharp light of Xqbrehy would stab across the dry terrain of Homeworld, a seven-foot-tall gem previously unknown to the planet would run just to feel her legs pound the sand, behold the psychic wonder of nine potential futures the off-world transport had in store for her, and sob with joy for so long she would cover her three eyes with metal to hide their redness. She would stand so tall at assembly that the largest of gems would balk upon her presentation to Pink Diamond, and swear her allegiance with as much authenticity as she swore she were mined, and all the while cackling to herself, _We did it._

Only the green-toned pearl would ever question where that defective blue archivist had gone, how her heavy wailing stone had made it halfway across the small purple room, and why there were four sharp indents that almost mimicked a fist bashed into the front of it. The audio could play, though it was distorted, and the pearl didn't dare make an issue of it. They didn't want to cause trouble, after all.


End file.
